Cleansing device

ABSTRACT

A device for removing undesirable extraneous particles, oils and the like from the shafts of hair, which device may take the form of a conventional comb or brush having teeth or bristles to which an adhesive material is cohesively applied to remove the undesirable particles from the hair shafts.

United States Patent flenllel Earl Wright 18 8th Drive, Demtur, 111. 6252] Nov. 8, 1968 July 27, 197 l Continuation of application Ser. No. 601,088, Dec. 12,1966.

Inventor App]. No. Filed Patented CLEANSING DEVICE 5 Cldml, 4 Drawing Figs.

05. CL 132/11R ..A49d 24/00 FicldolScarch 132/111,

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,169,028 1/1916 Grove 132/162 2,216,355 10/1940 Pollock 132/9 2,744,624 5/1956 Hoogstoel et a]. 206/65 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Gregory E. McNeil] Attorney-Johnson, Dienner, Emrich, Verbeck & Wagner ABSTRACT: A device for removing undesirable extraneous particles, oils and the like from the shafts of hair, which device may take the form of a conventional comb or brush having teeth or bristles to which an adhesive material is cohesively applied to remove the undesirable particles from the hair shafts.

PATENTED m2? ISYI .Jn vex 02".

CLEANSING DEVICE This application is a continuation of my copending application, Ser. No. 601,088, filed Dec. 12, 1966.

Combs and brushes have long been used for separating, adjusting and general grooming of hair. In addition to adjusting the hair to improve its aesthetic appearance, the combs and the brushes also serve to remove sizable extraneous matter from the hair. The conventional combs and brushes, however, fail to remove the smaller dust and otherforeign particles adhering to the shafts of the hair as well as the undesirable excess oil formed thereon. Attempts have been made to remove such undesirable smaller particles and oils by inserting absorbent material between the teeth of a comb and also by providing an absorbent cover or pad which is adapted to fit over the individual teeth of a comb. See, for example, the US. Pat. No. 1,645,318 to Carter and No. 2,122,699 to Rembalinsky. Another attempt made to remove such smaller particles from the hair utilizes brush bristles on the teeth of a comb. See, for example, US. Pat. No. 1,441,412 to Fitzpatrick. These prior art devices do not provide an adequate solution to the problem of removing undesirable small extraneous particles and oils from the hair.

It has been found that the more recent uses of lacquers and other hair sprays by women to set their hair have contributed to the basic problem. The sprays create coatings on the individual hair shafts which, after the hair spray completely hardens, for example, a day or so after application, tend to become brittle and finite pieces or specks thereof begin to flake off. As the small flakes or particles begin to accumulate, they present anunsightly appearance and detract from the intended effect of the hair setting. Further, the small particles or flakes from the hardened hair spray may lead to irritation of the scalp.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a hair-cleansing device taking the form of a comb or hairbrush having plurality of generally depending teeth or bristles, which teeth or bristles include novel means for removing extraneous foreign particles or substances from the shafts of hair.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a haircleansing device taking the form of a hair comb or brush as described wherein an adhesive material is cohesively applied to the peripheral surfaces of the individual teeth or bristles.

A'further object of the present invention is to provide a hair-cleansing device as described, which devicemay be readily cleaned preparatory to further use of the device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a haircleansing device as described which is particularly efficient in operation and which may be repeatedly reused without a reduction in the ability of the device to remove undesirable particles from thehair.

In a preferred embodiment of a hair-cleansing device in accordance with my invention, 1 provide a main body supporting member having a plurality of teeth elements depending therefrom as in a conventionally shaped hair comb. The depending teeth elements are spaced along the longitudinal axis of the body supporting member so as to allow strands or shafts of hair to pass between adjacent teeth. I apply an adhesive material to the peripheral surfaces of the teeth such that the adhesive material will be cohesively bonded to the peripheral surfaces. The adhesive material cohesively applied to the teeth has the property of remaining tacky during use of the device and maintains its tacky characteristic during washing or cleaning of the comb to remove particles adhering to the adhesive material as a result of cleansing the hair. While I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention as having a conventional comb shape, it will be understood that my invention may readily take the form of a conventional hairbrush having depending spaced bristle elements.

Further objects and advantages of my invention, together with the organization and manner of operation thereof, may

best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleansing comb in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the comb of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cleansing hairbrush constructed in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged sectional view of the hairbrush of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment comprising a comb, shown generally at reference numeral 10, including a generally longitudinally extending main body support member 12 having a plurality of teeth elements 14 depending therefrom. The depending teeth elements 14 may be formed integral with or otherwise suitably secured to the main body support member 12 and are generally equidistantly spaced along the longitudinal axis of the main body member so as to provide spaces between adjacent teeth of a width sufficient to allow a plurality of hair shafts to be drawn therebetween in a conventional manner. The comb 10 may be made from any of the conventionally known materials as are generally used in the manufacture of combs, it being preferably made of a relatively hard substance such as plastic,

I vulcanized rubber, a lightweight metal, or wood.

Referring to FIG. 2, each of the depending teeth 14 has an adhesive material cohesively applied to the peripheral surface thereof so as to provide a tacky adhesive outer coating 16. Preferably, the adhesive material coating is also applied to the surface of the body member 12 between the teeth elements 14. The adhesive material is characterized as being tacky to the touch and maintains the tacky adhesive characteristic throughout the normal usage temperature range and during repeated use of the cleansing comb. It has been found that a butadiene-styrene rubber-based adhesive having a high solids content in relation to the solvent content provides a particularly good adhesive coating for the teeth elements 14 and maintains the desired tacky characteristic through an indefinite period. It has further been found that the said butadiene-styrene rubber-based adhesive lends itself to application in the form of a spray from an aerosol container without unduly misting or becoming stringy during application. A presently commercially available spray adhesive which has been found to be particularly suitable is marketed by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Corporation of St. Paul, Minn., as their Adhesive Spray No. 77. The thickness or depth of the coating of adhesive material on the teeth elements 14 is such as to insure a thorough film of the adhesive material on the entire peripheral surface of the teeth while not being so thick as to substantially reduce the space between successive teeth elements.

An additional application of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 3 wherein a hairbrush, indicated generally by reference numeral 20, is shown as having a generally rectangular main body portion 22 and a handle portion 24. A plurality of generally parallel depending bristle elements 26 are suitably secured in apertures 28 provided in the body portion 22 of the brush and are equidistantly spaced from one another in a conventional manner. The main body portion 22 and handle 24 of the brush 20 may be made from any of the conventionally known materials such as plastic, vulcanized rubber, metal or wood. Referring to FIG. 4, the depending bristle elements 26 and the bottom surface 30 of the brush body portion 22 have an adhesive material cohesively applied thereto so as to provide a tacky adhesive surface 32 over the entire exposed surface 30 and the peripheral portions of the bristles. The adhesive material forming the adhesive surface 32 on the bristle elements 26 is of the same material as that above described as being cohesively applied to the teeth elements 14 of the cleansing comb 10.

The adhesive material forming the tacky adhesive surfaces 16 and 32, respectively, of the hair cleansing comb 10 and the cleansing brush 20 may be applied to the teeth 14 and bristles 26 by spraying the adhesive material onto the teeth and bristles, or alternatively, the teeth 14 and bristles 26 may be dipped into a liquid solution of the adhesive material so as to be cohesively coated therewith.

The adhesive material which is cohesively applied to the teeth 14 and bristles 26, respectively, of the cleansing comb l and the cleansing brush 20 is such that the comb and brush may be periodically washed to thereby remove foreign particles adhering to the adhesive surfaces 16 and 32, the foreign particles having been removed from the hair shafts during combing and brushing of the hair.

Having thus described the elements comprising the cleansing comb and cleansing brush 20, it will be understood that when one uses the comb or brush for combing or brushing the hair, the hair shafts will be passed between the teeth 14 of the comb 10 or the bristles 26 of the comb 20. Passage of the hair shafts between either the teeth or the bristles will cause the individual hair shafts to contact the tacky adhesive surfaces 16 or 32, respectively, of the comb and brush whereupon foreign particles disposed upon the hair shafts will adhere to the adhesive surfaces and thereby be removed from the hair shafts. As above noted, after the foreign particles have been removed from the hair and are disposed upon the adhesive surfaces 16 and 32, respectively, of the comb 10 or brush 20, the comb or brush may be washed in a warm soapy solution to remove the foreign particles from the adhesive surfaces 16 and 32.

While two embodiments of my invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broader aspects.

lclaim:

1. A hair-cleansing device for removing undesirable particles, oils and the like, from shafts of hair, comprising, in combination, a main body support member, and a plurality of generally depending elements secured to said body member, said elements being spaced one from the other and having a tacky adhesive material cohesively applied thereto along the lengths thereof so that on passage of said device through hair, undesirable substances disposed upon the shafts of hair will adhere to the adhesive material and thereby be removed from the hair shafts.

2. A hair-cleansing device as defined in claim 1 wherein the adhesive material is applied to the entire peripheral surfaces of said elements and the surface area of said body member disposed between said elements.

3. A hair-cleansing device as defined in claim 1 wherein said depending elements are disposed in normal relation to said body member and coplanar therewith.

4. A hair-cleansing device for removing undesirable particles, oils and the like from the shafts of hair, comprising, in combination, a main body support member, and a plurality of generally depending spaced elements secured to said body member, said elements having an adhesive material cohesively applied along the lengths, said adhesive material comprising a butadiene-styrene rubber based adhesive having a high solids content in relation to the solvent content therein such that the undesirable substances disposed upon the hair shafts will adhere to the adhesive material and thereby be removed from the hair shafts upon contact of the hair shafts with said depending elements.

5. A hair-cleaning device for removing undesirable particles, oils and the like from the shafts of hair, comprising, in combination, a main body support member, and a plurality of generally depending elements secured to said body member, said elements being spaced one from the other and having a tacky adhesive material cohesively applied thereto along the lengths thereof, said adhesive material being of such a character that it maintains an adhesive tackincss throughout continued use and periodic washing of the cleaning device so that on passage of said device through hair, undesirable substances disposed upon the shafts of hair will adhere to the adhesive material and be removed from the hair shafts. 

1. A hair-cleansing device for removing undesirable particles, oils and the like, from shafts of hair, comprising, in combination, a main body support member, and a plurality of generally depending elements secured to said body member, said elements being spaced one from the other and having a tacky adhesive material cohesively applied thereto along the lengths thereof so that on passage of said device through hair, undesirable substances disposed upon the shafts of hair will adhere to the adhesive material and thereby be removed from the hair shafts.
 2. A hair-cleansing device as defined in claim 1 wherein the adhesive material is applied to the entire peripheral surfaces of said elements and the surface area of said body member disposed between said elements.
 3. A hair-cleansing device as defined in claim 1 wherein said depending elements are disposed in normal relation to said body member and coplanar therewith.
 4. A hair-cleansing device for removing undesirable particles, oils and the like from the shafts of hair, comprising, in combination, a main bOdy support member, and a plurality of generally depending spaced elements secured to said body member, said elements having an adhesive material cohesively applied along the lengths, said adhesive material comprising a butadiene-styrene rubber based adhesive having a high solids content in relation to the solvent content therein such that the undesirable substances disposed upon the hair shafts will adhere to the adhesive material and thereby be removed from the hair shafts upon contact of the hair shafts with said depending elements.
 5. A hair-cleaning device for removing undesirable particles, oils and the like from the shafts of hair, comprising, in combination, a main body support member, and a plurality of generally depending elements secured to said body member, said elements being spaced one from the other and having a tacky adhesive material cohesively applied thereto along the lengths thereof, said adhesive material being of such a character that it maintains an adhesive tackiness throughout continued use and periodic washing of the cleaning device so that on passage of said device through hair, undesirable substances disposed upon the shafts of hair will adhere to the adhesive material and be removed from the hair shafts. 